Aspiration pneumonitis is defined as acute lung injury after the inhalation of regurgitated gastric contents. This syndrome occurs in patients who have a marked disturbance of consciousness such as that resulting from a drug overdose, seizures, a massive cerebrovascular accident, or the use of anesthesia. Adnet and Baud demonstrated that the risk of aspiration increases with the degree of unconsciousness (as measured by the Glasgow Coma Scale).15 Historically, the syndrome most commonly described as aspiration pneumonitis is Mendelson's syndrome, reported in 1946 in patients who aspirated while receiving general anesthesia during obstetrical procedures.16